Automatic safety-valve



(No Model.)

E. F. WALLACE & J. WYMAN, Jr.

AUTOMATIC SAFETY VALVE. No. 375,029. Patented Dec. 20, 1887.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EBENEASER F. WALLACE, OF GOCHRANTON, AND JAMES VVYMAN, JR, OF

WVILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 375,029, dated December 20, 1887.

Application filed November 9, 1886. Serial No. 218,424.

(No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, EBENEASER F. WAL- LACE and J AMES WYMAN, Jr., citizens of the United States, residing at Oochranton and Wilkinsburg, respectively, in the counties of Crawford and Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Automatic Safety-Valves, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to an improvement in automatic safety-valves; and it consistsiu the peculiar construction and combination of devices that will be more fully set forth hereinafter, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of the valve embodying our improvements. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a top plan view.

A represents a pipe-coupling or valve-case, which is provided with a valve-seat, B, located betweenthe inlet-opening O and thedischarge-opening D. An oblique opening, E, extends from the opening 0 to the valve-seat, communicating with the latter at a slight distance above the bottom thereof.

F represents an opening which extends through the bottom of the valve seat, and communicates with the opening D. A vertical sleeve, G,which is closed at its upper end, is screwed to the upper side of the pipe-coupling or valvecase. H represents a pistonvalve which fits in the bore of the valve-seat, and is provided with a vertical stem, I, that extends upwardly from the center of the piston-valve. The lower side of the latter is provided with a depending cone or projection, K, that enters the upper end of the opening F, and is adapted to close the same.

L represents a crown-piece which is screwed into the valve-seat above the piston-valve, and is provided with a central opening through which the valve-stem I extends. This crownpiece prevents gas or fluid from entering the sleeve G above the valve. The upper end of the valve-stem passes through a central opening which is made in the upper closed end of the sleeve-G, and projects beyond the same.

M represents an annular packing-box which surrounds the valvestem and bears against the upper side of the crown-piece, the said packing-box being retained in position by a coiled exteusile spring, N, which surrounds the valve-stem and bears between the upper 5 side of the sleeve G and the top of the packingboX. The function of the latter is to prevent leakage through the central opening in the crown-piece. Thespring N does not bear upon the valve, and leaves the latter free to rise or fall.

To the upper end of the valve-stem is secured a button, 0, which is provided on one side with an open slot, P.

R represents the vertical screw-rod which projects from the upper end of the sleeve G, and on the said screw-rod worksa thumb nut,

S, which is adjustable vertically on the screwrod, and is on the upper side of the button 0,

so as to limit the upward movement of thelat- 7o ter. The open slot in the side of the button engages the vertical screw-rod B, so as to prevent the valve from rotating.

It will be noted that'the thickness of the piston-valve is slightly less than the diameter of the inner end of the opening E,and that the latter communicates with the valve seat or socket at a slight distance above the bottom thereof.

The operation of our invention is as follows: When the valve is raised to the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2, communica tion is established in the valve seat or socket between the openings E and F, so that the gas or fluid which enters the opening 0 is con ducted through the pipe-coupling or valvecase, and is discharged through the opening D. The pressure of the said gas or fluid, as soon as its flow is commenced, is exerted on the under side of the valve H, so as to keep the latter raised, and thus permit an uninterrupted o flow of the gas or fluid through the valve-case. By moving the adjusting-screw S up or down i the valve H may be caused to partly close the opening E to any desired extent, so as to regulate the quantity of gas or fluid which flows 5 through the valve-case. In order to shut off the flow of gas or fluid through the valve-case, it is only necessary to depress the valve so as to cause it to bear against the bottom of the valve-seat, when it will be on the under side I00 of the opening E. The pressure of the gas or fluid which enters the valve-seat through the opening E will then be exerted upon the upper side of the valve, and will serve to keep the latter closed as long as the pressure of the gas or fluid is maintained, thus entirely out tingoff the flow of gas or fluid and preventing the valve from being accidentally opened.

In the event that the supply of gas or fluid should be cut off before it reaches the valveease, the pressure will be instantly relieved from the valve, and the latter will then drop by its own gravity.

In patent No. 349,389, in which one of us (James Vyman, Jr.) was joint inventor and .patentee with Paul Gennet,is shown a gas-regulating valve in which the valve is held open by the pressure of the gas or fluid, but which requires a lockingpin to hold the valve closed. The present invention differs from this in that the inlet-opening G communicates above the valve and its seat when the valve is closed by means of an opening, E, whereby we dispense with the use of locking means for the valve, and the latter is held to its seat solely by the pressure of the gas.

WVe are aware that it has been heretofore proposed to construct an automatic safety-valve for shutting off the flow of gas, comprising a valve-chamber having inlet and discharge openings and a puppet-valve arranged so that the pressure of the gas shall be exerted to retain the valve away from the seat or port leading to the service-pipe when the valve is open, and shall retain the valve against the seat or port when the valve is shut, and this, broadly, we disclaim.

Having thus described our invention, we claim- 1. In a gas cut-off valvecase having the valve-seat B, provided with the inlet-opening E at one side and the discharge-opening Fin its bottom, in combination with the crownpiece L, screwed into the valve-case above the valve-seat, the sleeveG, screwed to the upper side ofthe valvecase, the spring-actuated packing'boX arranged in the sleeve and bearing on the crown-piece, and the valve H, arranged in the valve-seat and having the stem I extending through aligned openings in the crown-piece,

packing-box, and sleeve, substantially as described.

2. In a gas cutoff, the combination of the valve-case having the seat and the inlet and outlet openings communicating therewith, the

valve located on the valve-seat and held up from the seat, and also retained upon its seat by the gaspressure, and the adjustable crownpiece L,located within the valve-case above the valve-seat, the valve abutting against the erowupiece in its upward movement, as set forth.

3. In a gas cut-off, the valvecase having the inlet 0 and outlet-openings D for gas, the valve-seat B, the opening F in the valve-seat, the opening E from the inlet G to the space in the valve-case above the valve-seat, the valve H,held fixed in itsupper and lower positions by the gas-pressure and having its stenlworking looselyin the valve-case,and the crownpiece L, the opening E being below the valve when the latter is open and above the valve when the same is closed, whereby the pressure of the gas will retain the valve in its proper position, as set forth.

4. In a gas cut-off, the valvecase having the inlet 0 and outlet-openings D t'orgas, the valveseat B, the opening F in the valve-seat, the opening E from the inlet 0 to the space in the valve-case above the valve-seat, and the valve H, held fixed in its upper and lower positions by the gas-pressure and having its stem working loosely in the valve-case, the opening E being below the valve when the latter is open and above the valve when the same is closed, whereby the pressure of the gas will retain the valve in its proper position, as set forth.

5. In a gas cut-off, the combination of the valve and its stem, the valve-case, the crownpiece L, fitted within the case, the packing M, and a spring to force the packing against the crown-piece, the spring exerting no pressure on the valve-stem, as set forth.

6. In a gas cut-off, the valve-case having the inlet-opening O, the discharge-opening D, the valve-seat B, having opening F, the opening E from the inlet-opening O to the interior of the valvecase above the valve-seat, and the valve II, with its stem loosely working in the valvecase, and having the depending projection K, to close the opening F, as set forth.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have hereto affixed our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

EBENEASER F. WALLACE. JAMES XVYMAN, JR.

Witnesses:

JOHN FRIES, J. FRED DORRANGE.

IOC 

